


The Storied King of Fright

by Lacrow



Category: SPY x FAMILY (Manga)
Genre: Audio Content, Author reads, Basically skipped the whole christmas part, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Nightmare Before Christmas AU, poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:14:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrow/pseuds/Lacrow
Summary: A story about the scariest man dead or alive, and the woman who helped him remember who he was. A Nightmare Before Christmas AU.
Relationships: Loid Forger | Twilight/Yor Briar Forger | Thorn Princess
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: Forger Spookfest





	The Storied King of Fright

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this on tumblr a couple weeks ago (thanks to Jamills for the inspiration!) and figured it'd be a nice little update for Halloween. I didn't wanna just repost something I'd already done though, so I also decided to try and take a crack at uploading audio to Ao3. 
> 
> SO GATHER AROUND KIDDIES AS I READ YOU A STORY WITH MY CRINGEY VOICE!

Vampire bats and midnight cats,

checkerboard snakes and gnarled-toothed rats,

haunting spirits of the freshly turned dead,

and sharp clawed monsters best left under your bed.

All give praise to the man as he arrives,

All sing the song of the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

He rides on an effigy of twisted wood and straw,

brandishes a torch to the crowd, and gives pause.

The gathered ghouls and goblins hold their breath,

and shut their mouths to silently witness his death.

But death is not death as he casts himself alight,

for you cannot kill what's already dead. Such is the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween.._

He burns and kindles and dances the whole time,

swinging his arms and legs to some haphazard old rhyme.

The crowd claps and sings in horrible cheer

as their king immolates himself just as he did last year.

When the fire wanes his mask falls and reveals two blue eyes,

cold enough to steal your soul; eyes befitting the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

When the dance is over the crowd cheers once more,

and the man takes his final bow to the tune of their roar.

There's a twinkle in his smile as he goes to shake hands

and promises another terrible year as the king of Halloweenland.

Witches and sirens chase him feverishly into the night

in a desperate attempt to spend some time with the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

He loses the vixens and makes his escape

back to the seclusion of a graveyard where he waits.

All night, every night, looking up at the stars,

waiting for something to change, though the prospect seems far.

For what, he cannot say, though a friend waits by his side,

a ghost dog, Bond, accompanies his master, the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

On that fateful night, another joins him in secret,

a woman between headstones, as close as she can get.

Timid and shy, she hides and she waits,

content to just stare quietly as he wallows in place.

His pity and loathing he casts on the world like a blight,

lamenting himself, he, the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

Her body of nothing but stitches and threads

she twiddles her cloth absently and thinks in her head,

"Perhaps I should go over. It won't be that bad,

if I sit at his side, maybe he won't be so sad."

With all her conviction and an embarrassed sigh

Yor willed herself forward towards the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

His head spun around several times as she came,

angry, at first, though his anger soon waned.

Bond lapped at her feet as she took up a chair

next to them both, and pulled back her hair.

There on the bench she looked quite a sight,

one that thoroughly vexed the so-called storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

"I've already given you this year's dreadfully dull show,

so why have you come here to share in my woe?

The same old thing, year after year, is what you demand

and I begrudgingly indulge you as the king of Halloweenland."

"I used to be scary! I was once quite the sight!

But now I'm nothing more than my title...the storied king of fright."

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

When he was done moping and woeing, Yor laced her fingers

and took a moment to search his face. His eyes lingered,

she paused, and soon gave him a smile.

"Honestly I haven't been to one of your shows in quite a while."

Her admission was biting, though her face remained bright.

"That's not to say I'm not a fan...I just get nervous around you, Mr. Storied-King-of-Fright."

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

"You're the most terrifying, most horrific, most talented scarer ever.

I was made to be scary, too, but I'm really not clever.

I envy you so much, though not with ill will

because I greatly admire you, even now still.

So cheer up! You're the best of the best, and this is your night!

I couldn't bear to see you so sad, Mr. Storied-King-of Fright!"

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

He blinked through his blear and focused on her,

the patchwork woman who'd twice now called him mister.

She was cheerful and odd, though he found it unique

and the longer he stared, the more he started to think.

"Who says I must do the same old show every Halloween night?

I can do whatever I want, when I want, for I am the storied king of fright!"

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

First thing was first. He reached for her hand.

Cloth turned bright red as he started to stand

and dragged her with him under the glow of the moon.

Bond boofed behind Yor as she gazed at him and swooned.

To her burning red eyes, his cool blues were a sight,

and she couldn't help but to shudder in the presence of the storied king of fright.

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

For the first time in the long time she'd watched from afar, he smiled.

Hand in hand with him like that in the graveyard, her heart started to beat wild.

"I must thank you for helping me get my head back on straight.

Though Halloween's nearly over, perhaps it won't be too late

to go back into town and put on one more show for the night,

but one that I want to do. Not them, me, the storied king of fright."

_This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..._

Yor nodded and smiled and was glad she could help and readied herself to make haste into town by herself,

but was stopped in her tracks by a pull that she felt.

Brought in close, a warmth brushed her lips

and her eyes nearly boggled at the touch of his kiss.

"From now on," he murmured as the two parted ways, "If you'll have me, I'll make you my bride."

"The only woman I'd ever ask for her hand. So sayeth I, the storied king of fright."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!


End file.
